|
THE CURSE OF THE BAMBINO, PART 6 ...
"THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM"
The Sox score the winning runs
off a hit knee cap
April
24, 1967 ... The Red Sox beat the Senators, 7
to 4, in a weird, freezing evening, and Frank Howard's tremendous 480
foot home run in the sixth inning off Dennis Bennett had all the fans
marveling at his strength. But Mike Andrews hit a grounder at Ken
Harrelson in the eighth-inning that broke a 4 to 4 tie in the
ballgame. The game looked like quite a pitching performance between
Dennis Bennett and Camilo Pascual for five innings. Bennett had given up only
one hit for the first five innings, as compared to the two hits the Red Sox had.
One was Rico Petrocelli line drive over the left-field fence with Dalton Jones
on base in the fourth inning that gave the Red Sox a 2 to 0 lead.
But in the sixth inning, the Senators scored four times before Bennett could
get anyone out. Ed Brinkman doubled, Tim Cullen singled and Hank Allen also
singled. That brought up Frank Howard and out of the dugout came Dick Williams.
He told his pitcher the throw a junk curveball. Back to the dugout he went and
up came Howard. Instead, Bennett through a high fastball and Howard smashed it a
mile, into the dead centerfield seats.
The Red Sox came back in the seventh inning, and scored twice to tie up the
game at 4 to 4. Petrocelli singled to left and George Thomas hit a ball back to
the mound. Pascual had a doubleplay in mind, but juggled the ball and had to
make a play to first. Mike Andrews later singled and George Scott then came in
to bat for Bennett and walked. Reggie Smith, after running the count to 2-2,
doubled to right to tie up the game.
In the eighth-inning, Yastrzemski opened with a slice single to left-center,
going the second on a wild pitch. Tony Horton struck out but both Petrocelli and
José Tartabull, who batted for George Thomas, walked to load the bases. Up came
Mike Andrews and with everyone running on a 3-2 pitch, Andrews lined one to
first at Harrelson. The ball hit his knee and rolled into foul territory toward
the Washington dugout. Because everyone was running, three men scored while
Harrelson tracked down the ball. It was ruled an error but that didn't matter to
the Red Sox because they were now leading 7 to 4. |
